Newly-Ranked Quarterbacks: Overview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week's <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/updated-2027-north-carolina-rankings/">2027 Rankings Update</a> was one of our biggest ever, with over 190 new players hitting the rankings since February. With a very limited amount of time before we move to the 2028 class, there just isn't enough time to properly cover <em>every</em> new addition. Instead, we're going to take a bird's-eye view and evaluate the newly ranked players in larger groups. Here's a 30,000-foot view of the 12 new quarterbacks in the 2027 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What to Know About the Newly-Ranked Quarterbacks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Note:</em> By this summer, we'll have full evaluations on every one of these quarterbacks. We actually evaluated several in the lead-up to the rankings release (which is how some of them ended up ranked in the first place). Here, backlinks are our friends, so if we have a piece on the site with more info on a player, we'll link it below!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The County Deep Dive Crowd</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By far the largest contingent of newly-ranked 2027 quarterbacks came from our County Deep Dives series, where we went county-by-county to nearly a quarter of the state to rank players by their projected 2026 season impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's important to note that those evaluations are largely about how we view the players <em>now</em>, while our overall rankings project projected college impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a list of players who debuted on Prep Redzone during our County Deep Dives series:<br>(Click the name to go to a player's profile, click the county to go directly to their associated Deep Dive)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142468' first='Sam' last='Finch']</strong> | Fike (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/franklin-nash-wilson-county-qb-deep-dive/">Wilson County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134913' first='Duncan' last='Parker']</strong> | Seaforth (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/alamance-chatham-lee-county-qb-deep-dive/">Chatham County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Damacio Cueto</strong> | Clayton (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/johnston-harnett-county-qb-deep-dive/">Johnston County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142470' first='Josiah' last='Rice']</strong> | Bunn (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/franklin-nash-wilson-county-qb-deep-dive/">Franklin County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142789' first='Ethan' last='Oakley']</strong> | Western Alamance (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/alamance-chatham-lee-county-qb-deep-dive/">Alamance County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142469' first='Isaiah' last='Battle']</strong> | Southern Nash (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/franklin-nash-wilson-county-qb-deep-dive/">Nash County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2137668' first='Aiden' last='Shupe']</strong> | Western Harnett (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/johnston-harnett-county-qb-deep-dive/">Harnett County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2141136' first='Jesiah' last='Johnson']</strong> | Riverside (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/durham-orange-county-qb-deep-dive/">Durham County</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Eastern and Rural NC QBs</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We also added a few quarterbacks from the eastern part of the state and rural areas (both places where we occasionally miss a player or two) who caught our eye a bit later in the process. Gray's Creek's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271067' first='KJ' last='Jackson']</strong> and Westover's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1719071' first='Eric' last='Kline']</strong> are two guys our man Josh Graham has been high on in the past, and <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/6-players-to-know-for-the-next-2027-rankings-update/">I evaluated both</a> at the very beginning of this past rankings cycle as potential new additions in May.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In between, both guys have <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/i-40-classic-top-performers/">impressed in camp settings</a>, proving they belong in the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Further east, West Columbus' <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2135592' first='DJ' last='Graham']</strong> popped up when I looked at <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/02/2a-sleepers-in-2026/">potential 2A sleepers</a>. He's one of the most productive returning quarterbacks in the entire state and could have a massive senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, Eastern Randolph has some pieces, and quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2140152' first='Cade' last='McCallum']</strong> should be able to build on his 1,800-yard, 18-touchdown junior season. If he continues to improve, the Wildcats could be one of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/way-too-early-3a-top-10/">top teams in the 3A classification</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2027 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->